1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to securing of heat sinks to electronic devices, and particularly to heat sink clip assemblies having handles for facilitating operation.
2. Related Art
Advances in microelectronics technology have resulted in electronic devices which process signals and data at unprecedented high speeds. During operation of many contemporary electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs), large amounts of heat are produced. The heat must be efficiently removed, to prevent the system from becoming unstable or being damaged.
Typically, a heat sink assembly comprises a heat sink, a fan and a clip attached at a periphery of the electronic device. The clip is often integrally made of spring steel wire. An example of such heat sink assembly is disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 332721. A wire clip comprises a horizontal pressing section and two spring arms extending from two opposite ends of the pressing section. A hook is formed at a distal end of each spring arm, to resiliently engage with a part at a periphery of the electronic device. The clip thereby presses the heat sink onto a top surface of the electronic device. Unfortunately, the wire is typically small and slippery. In assembly, an operator""s finger is prone to slip off the surface of the clip. The resultant inconvenience and inefficiency is particularly costly in mass production assembly lines.
Thus, an improved heat sink clip assembly which overcomes the above problem is desired.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a clip assembly which readily and securely attaches a heat sink to an electronic device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a clip assembly with handlesfor facilitating operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a clip assembly which is simple and cost-efficient.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, a heat sink clip assembly comprises a clip and a pair of handles attached to the clip for facilitating operation. The clip is integrally made of spring steel wire. The clip has a horizontal pressing section and two spring arms extending perpendicularly from opposite ends of the pressing section. The spring arms extend generally upwardly in different directions from the pressing section. A hook is formed at a free end of each spring arm. Each handle has a rectangular base plate and two fixing blocks formed at diagonally opposite comers of the base plate. The fixing blocks extend toward each other along a pair of orthogonal edges of the base plate. A groove is defined in an inner side surface of each fixing block. The grooves are parallel to the base plate and respectively accommodate part of the pressing section and part of one of the spring arms.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention together with the attached drawings, in which: